Many applications servers contain directories to aid clients in fast lookup of information. For example, within a database system, an application server such as the Oracle Application Server may contain a directory, such as the Oracle Internet Directory.
Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) is an Internet protocol that applications may use to look up information. An LDAP server may allow applications to access information contained in directories.
Much of the LDAP operations traffic against an LDAP server is read-centric. In many telecommunications applications where LDAP servers are the identity repositories, there is a common requirement to not only hold large number of entries in the LDAP repository, but also to provision large number of entries on an ongoing basis. This may also be true in other applications where the internet identities are provisioned in the LDAP server.
The requirement to provision in bulk a large number of LDAP entries into an LDAP Server repository which already has a large number of entries presents many challenges. This act of bulk-add or bulk-append should ensure that the LDAP Server does not consume additional resources such that the LDAP Service that it provides to run-time applications is adversely affected. This should also be handled appropriately in an LDAP Replication Network since this is a very common topology for large LDAP deployments.